Spying
by ceruleas
Summary: Tamaki and Kyoya are college freshmen and roommates. Kyoya starts acting strange, and Tamaki intends to find out why. Tamaki & Kyoya friendship, with light Tamaki x Haruhi on the side, plus appearances by the twins.
1. Ch 1: Conspiring

It was late Friday afternoon, and Tamaki Suoh was pacing on the sidewalk.

"At that rate, Tamaki, you'll wear a hole in the ground. Also, you're about to run into that telephone pole."

Kyoya Ootori sat nearby, on a park bench painted with a university's vibrant logo. He spoke without glancing up from his cellphone screen, but he was right nonetheless. Tamaki stopped short, looking up at the pole with mild disgust.

"I'm sorry," he said, walking over to sit beside Kyoya, "I'm just so excited! I haven't seen Haruhi since…"

"Since we left after break." Kyoya finished, "I know." His voice was tired, but his features expressed a rare smile at his best friend.

Tamaki started to speak again, but broke off when he saw a familiar black car turn the street corner onto campus. Then he was off the bench in one lively motion, running to the edge of the road. Kyoya followed at a slower pace, tucking his phone into a pocket.

The vehicle came to a stop and its passengers, two identical redheads and a petite brunette, stepped out onto the sidewalk. The car had barely begun to pull away when Tamaki pounced, pulling the brunette into a strong embrace and landing a kiss on her cheek.

"Haruhi! You look lovely!"

A muffled female voice replied. "Thank-you, Tamaki. Now… do you think maybe I could have a little breathing room?"

The twins chuckled, watching Haruhi struggle playfully out of Tamaki's arms. He let her escape, but not completely; he slipped one hand into hers, and she made no effort to pull it away.

"Hello, Kyoya-senpai."

The tall male's answering smile was small, but genuine. "Hello, Haruhi. Hikaru. Kaoru." He nodded to each in turn. "It is good to see you all well. Should we walk back to our dorm?"

"Certainly." echoed the twins, and the group started toward the main campus.

"So…" Kaoru began.

"What are the plans for tonight, boss?" Hikaru finished.

"I thought we'd all go to that new restaurant by the bookstore. I'm told it's quite good. Any objections?"

"Mmmmm," said Haruhi, "sounds like a plan to me. Are you coming, Kyoya?"

"Actually…"

Tamaki sighed, and his voice turned uncharacteristically sharp. "Let me guess. You have another 'study group.'"

"I'm sorry Tamaki. I completely cleared out my schedule for tomorrow, but I really can't miss this tonight."

"But Kyoya, it's a Friday," said Hikaru.

"Yes, and I have an exam coming up that I can't afford to do poorly on. I apologize for missing dinner, but I'm sure you'll be fine without me."

Tamaki gave a non-committal grunt, but said nothing. He stopped walking when he realized Haruhi had come to a stop. She was looking at the large grassy area in front of the freshman dorms with interest.

"Hey guys, what do you say to sitting outside for a while since the weather is nice?"

Tamaki clapped his hands together. "Splendid idea!" The twins nodded their agreement, so he led them a short distance away to a green patch beneath a large tree, one of his favorite spots. While the others were getting comfortable, Tamaki looked expectantly back at Kyoya. The dark-haired young man did not seem inclined to move from the sidewalk.

"I'm going to let you four stay here and catch up. I need to go get ready and leave for my meeting. I'll call you later."

"Alright," said Tamaki, resigned. "See you later."

Tamaki watched Kyoya walk away, and the other three watched Tamaki. Haruhi shook him lightly on the shoulder.

"What is it Tamaki? Something's bothering you."

"Yeah. What's up, boss?"

Tamaki turned back to them, putting on a half-hearted smile.

"Oh, it's nothing. Kyoya has just been acting a bit… strange, lately. He's at these 'study groups' _all the time_. I mean, he's smarter than I am! And now he claims to be studying twice as much as I do. Or he makes up other excuses for being gone. It's just weird."

"So… you're afraid he's cheating on you, or something, boss?"

"Very funny, Kaoru. Seriously. It's just… we've always told each other everything, and now I feel like he's hiding something from me. I don't understand why."

Haruhi played with the grass in front of her, thinking. "Well, I'm sure he has a good reason for whatever it is he's doing. Kyoya-senpai may not be the most charitable guy, but I've never known him to do anything deliberately cruel. Especially not to you, Tamaki."

"You're right," Tamaki agreed, "But still, what sort of reason could he have for hiding something from me?"

"Maybe it's something embarrassing and he's afraid you'll make fun of him," Kaoru said.

"But I wouldn't make fun of Kyoya!"

"No… I suppose not."

"But we would," said Hikaru, grinning. He looked at his brother, who gave him a matching smirk. Then Kaoru caught sight of something.

"Hey, isn't that Kyoya coming back out of the dorm now?"

Everyone turned their heads to the main door of the building; Kyoya was indeed walking out, and moving in the direction opposite them. He was clothed in dress pants and a sharp dark button-down, and carried a small paper shopping bag in one hand.

The four remained silent until Kyoya disappeared into the swarm of main campus.

"He looks awfully dressed up to be going to a study group, wouldn't you say Kaoru?"

"Sure thing, Hikaru."

"Oh, come on you two," said Haruhi, "Leave the guy alone."

"But don't you see, Haruhi?" Tamaki held out his hands in a hopeless manner, "This is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about." He paused in his rant. "Hey, what are you two conspiring over there!?"

Tamaki turned to the twins, who stopped suddenly in their whispering.

"Conspiring?" they said together, voices high-pitched with guilt. Haruhi couldn't help but laugh at them.

Hikaru put his hand to his heart, trying to look insulted. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"But honestly," said Kaoru, "we have an idea, boss."

Tamaki managed to sound suspicious and curious at the same time. "Oh really?"

Hikaru looked at Kaoru. "What would you say…"

Kaoru looked at Hikaru. "To a little…"

And their grins grew to stretch across their faces simultaneously.

"Spying?"

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A/N: I didn't intend to write this. Honestly... I've been working on some things of my own lately when the idea struck out of nowhere and would. not. go. away. until it had been written. So, here we go. This ficlet has already been completely written, and will probably be broken into about four chapters. R & R is appreciated, and constructive criticism helps me out. Thanks!

Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Bisco Hatori. I'm just borrowing them, and promise to return them (eventually) in (more or less) the same condition I found them in.


	2. Ch 2: Spy Stuff

A/N: Thanks for reading, guys! And an extra thank-you to my reviewers!

Coming up: Tamaki and the twins take this "spy stuff" a little too seriously. Haruhi is not amused.

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"I can't believe I let you guys talk me into coming along on this absurd mission."

Haruhi pressed her back to the wall and slid down to sit on her heels beside Kaoru, who was doing the same. He gave her a playful nudge in the ribs.

"Oh, come on! Isn't this fun? Just like old times!"

"Except that I was the one being spied on back then, wasn't I?" Her tone was a good impression of her pissed-off voice, but it was tinted with amusement.

"Well, uh, usually…" Hikaru scratched the back of his head, grimacing in embarrassment, "but, uh… Hey boss! What is the status of the falcon? I repeat: Where is the falcon?"

Haruhi rolled her eyes as Tamaki crept up the side of the building and stuck his head around the corner. He stared down the line of shops for a few moments before turning to the group.

"The falcon appears to have flown… that is, he has… dang it, this spy stuff is hard! The point is, Kyoya is still in the store. We're safe for now." Tamaki looked quickly around the corner again. "Wait, he's come out!"

"Oh, here we go!" Haruhi threw her hands up in defeat. She'd long ago embraced the if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them approach. "Where's he going, Tamaki?"

This time, when Tamaki turned back to them, his eyes were wide.

"He's coming this way! The falcon has flown the coop! Retreat! Retreat!"

Tamaki then took off dramatically in the opposite direction, stopping only to pull a surprised Haruhi with him by the hand. Kaoru and Hikaru watched them fly by and duck down between two parked cars, and then followed. The four of them crouched in a small circle and watched furtively as Kyoya crossed the intersection and continued on down the other road.

When he was sure Kyoya had passed them, Tamaki got up and signaled for the others to follow. The twins chased him eagerly; Haruhi shook her head, but trailed after.

"I could be eating at that nice restaurant right now… I hope you guys appreciate how much I love you."

"We do!" Hikaru and Kaoru shouted back, "Now try to keep up!"

***

Following Kyoya was not a simple task. The four detectives had to work very hard to keep up with him while remaining unseen. Luckily, he seemed distracted; he would check his watch, mutter a little, and speed up. But the speeding up was giving the spies a hard time.

Eventually, the chase came to a close. Kyoya stopped in front of a small, expensive restaurant and went inside, unwittingly leaving the others outside. They looked at one another, shrugging, and resolved to wait a few minutes. If Kyoya were eating here, they decided, he would need to be seated.

The twins quickly became bored and started humming to pass the time. Tamaki bobbed his head with the tune, and Haruhi stared at them wide-eyed for a few moments before asking, "Is that 'Secret Agent Man?'" Hikaru just gave a small, evil grin in response. Haruhi got up, shaking her head at their antics for the nth time that day, and wandered over to the door of the restaurant. She could see through the glass window into a small lobby.

"Hey guys! I hate to interrupt your stunning performance, but you might want to come over here. It looks like Kyoya-senpai is already in the dining area."

The others soon joined Haruhi by the door to look inside. Sure enough, the lobby was mostly empty except for a few waiters and the hostess. Tamaki reached for the door handle.

"Wait boss!" Kaoru grabbed Tamaki's arm. "What are you doing?"

"Well, we're not going to find anything out by just sitting here."

"But what if we get caught?" Kaoru asked, "Are you willing to invoke the wrath of the shadow king?"

"That is certainly a good point…" Tamaki put his hand to his chin in thought for a few moments. Then he snapped suddenly and pointed one finger skyward. "Aha! I know! You two go in there."

"Huh?" Hikaru cocked his head to one side. "How does that make any sense?"

"You see, if he catches you, you get to leave on Sunday. But I have to live with him for another semester. This way I'm safe." Tamaki crossed his arms across his chest smugly, as if the matter were settled.

Hikaru tried not to sound too offended. "Hmph. Okay, then. Can Haruhi come with us?"

"Huh-uh," the girl said, holding her hands in front of her in objection, "I spent too long indebted to Kyoya-senpai to want to piss him off now. This was your idea, anyway."

"Great," grumbled Hikaru, "just wonderful. Couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you Kaoru? Now it's just you and me."

"Oh, come on brother," Kaoru threw an arm over his twin's shoulder. "Let's go figure out what our mysterious senpai is up to."


	3. Ch 3: In the Act

The twins finally agreed on a direct line of attack, and walked into the restaurant as if they were customers. When the hostess approached them, Hikaru politely told her they were still waiting on some people, and they sat down on some of the benches provided. Then they started looking around.

"Over there," Kaoru whispered, "the divider behind those plants is mostly glass. If we look through them, I bet we can see into the dining room."

The two got up from their seats and slowly strolled over to the other side of the lobby, pointing to different parts of the architecture as though they were admiring it. Once they reached the divider-hiding-behind-plants, however, all pretenses were lost and they both stuck their heads into the leaves to peer through the glass.

They quickly located a slightly nervous looking, but smiling Kyoya, seated at a small table in a private corner of the bistro. His lack of composure was enough to shock the twins, but even more surprising was his dinner partner, a fairly pretty young woman with wide eyes and a petite frame. Her pencil skirt and neat updo suggested a no-nonsense attitude, but her posture was relaxed and she was smiling warmly at the young man across the table from her.

Hikaru and Kaoru watched, mouths agape, as Kyoya reached down into the bag he had been carrying and pulled out a small bouquet of white gardenias. The young woman looked delighted as he offered them to her; she inhaled their scent deeply and said something inaudible, before laying them on the table. Kyoya had now pulled another item from the bag, and he laid the narrow velvet box with a red bow on the tablecloth and slid it across the surface. The girl's eyes lit up again as she opened the box to reveal a simple tennis bracelet set with sapphires.

Kaoru finally composed himself enough to look at his brother. "I don't believe it."

"Well, we certainly are seeing it, but I'm having a hard time with it too."

"I guess this solves the mystery. What do you say we hea-" Kaoru was cut off by a sudden tapping on his shoulder. Both boys turned around and gave the hostess their most charming smiles, but her expression remained unaffected.

"We're sorry, miss. It seems our friends are not coming after all. We'll just be getting out of your way." Hikaru gave the woman a respectful nod of the head, grabbed his brother's hand, and bolted for the door.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath, "Just as it was starting to get good."

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A/N: A shorter update here, but now you finally know what Kyoya's been up to. The next chapter will wrap things up (expect some fluffiness), and then I might include an 'alternative opening' that got cut from my original. As always, R & R is appreciated!

Reviewer Responses:

-iTorchic- I didn't want to say anything before, but, you guessed it! I hope it hasn't made the story boring for you.

-Shards-of-Wishbone- Thanks! It's good to know that things aren't getting lost in translation between my head and the screen.

-Fence Walker- I take full responsibility.. I got that song stuck in my head as I was writing this, and it didn't go away for two days. But the mental image was too funny not to include.

-StarlightWish17- I'm glad you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun writing that chapter.

Disclaimer: All non-original characters are the property of Bisco Hatori. I'm just borrowing them, and promise to return them (eventually) in (more or less) the same condition I found them in.

[edited to add disclaimer to all chapters]


	4. Ch 4: Questions

The twins, still partially in shock, insisted on going back to the dorm room before spilling their news. They concluded later that this was a good decision, especially after Tamaki's rather strong reaction.

"He's on a date!?"

Tamaki's voice reached a volume that made the twins cringe; his expression was one of shock and distress. Haruhi sat down on his bed beside him and placed her hand on his arm in a reassuring manner.

"Are you sure that's what you saw, Kaoru?" she asked.

The younger twin lounged back in Kyoya's desk chair. "That's what it looked like to us. And I don't think you usually give flowers and jewelry at strictly business dinners."

Hikaru, who was sitting on the floor, sighed dramatically. "We're so sorry, boss. We hate to be the ones to tell you, but it seems Kyoya-sempai really is a cheating lowlife. If you need anything, you know we're here for you."

Haruhi threw a pillow at him. "Not helping, Hikaru."

Tamaki was still at a loss for words. He breathed in deeply and sighed forcefully several times before finding his voice. "Wh.. Why do you think he's hiding something like this?"

Haruhi ran her fingers through his blonde hair. "Well, for all his experience as a host, Kyoya-sempai has never really had a girlfriend. He was probably nervous, and didn't want you to worry or be upset if things didn't work out."

"I-I didn't think of it like that."

"Yeah, boss, I'm sure it's nothing to be upset about."

Tamaki's features slowly moved from displaying anger and hurt, to a more thoughtful look. The other three spent a good deal of the evening reassuring him, but when they left him for the night, Haruhi felt that it was worth it. Tamaki looked much more relaxed as he gave her a goodnight kiss and promised not to be too hard on Kyoya.

***

When Kyoya opened the door to his dorm room later that night, he found Tamaki laying stomach-down across his bed, eyes moving back and forth over a textbook page. After a few moments, the blonde lifted his head and smiled at his roommate.

"How was your study group?"

Kyoya walked slowly across the room to his desk, taking off his glasses before setting them on the wooden surface and turning back around. "It went well. How was dinner?"

"Hmmm? Oh, that. It was delicious. We shall have to go back some time when you can join us."

"Indeed." A mischievous smirk now crossed Kyoya's face. "And the twins? They did not get into _too_ much trouble with the hostess, I hope."

Tamaki's jaw dropped a little and then he chuckled. "How did you _know_? How do you always know?"

"I have my sources."

Tamaki nodded and went back to his book. Kyoya watched him for a few seconds.

"You're not going to ask me about it?"

"No." Tamaki placed one finger in the book to hold his place. "I know you have your reasons."

Kyoya tilted his head to the side for a moment. "Alright, then."

He walked over to his wardrobe and gathered his things for a shower. As he was turning the knob on the door, Tamaki lifted his head again.

"Wait."

Kyoya stood still.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you two things?"

"I cannot guarantee my answer, but you are welcome to try."

"Is it genuine? Do you really care about her?"

Kyoya's expression softened in a way that Tamaki had only seen a few times before. When he spoke again, his voice was nearly a whisper.

"Yes. I do. Very much so."

There was a pause.

"You had another question?"

"When will I get to meet her?"

Kyoya thought for a moment.

"Soon."

Tamaki smiled.

"Okay then."

_fin_

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A/N: Well, that's it, folks. Hope you've enjoyed it! Expect a bonus 'alternate opening' soon, but this story is officially Complete. Thanks again for reading, and doubly so to everyone who R & Red!

*

-TangerineSummer- I'm secretly a Tamaki/Kyoya shipper as well :D But I'm okay with reading/writing other pairings, especially since I could see a lot of them actually making good couples (see Haruhi X almost-anyone-in-the-host-club). And I tend to shy away from OC pairings as well, for a lot of reasons, so I kind of surprised myself writing this. I'm glad you like it, though.

-StarlightWish17- I actually started wondering about this woman too. Because she never made a real appearance, I didn't think much about her personality beyond the 'no-nonsense' comment. Since then, though, I've figured her out pretty well. I don't plan to write more about these two (see above), but it's always a possibility.

*

Disclaimer: All non-original characters are the property of Bisco Hatori. I'm just borrowing them, and promise to return them (eventually) in (more or less) the same condition I found them in.


	5. Extra: The Other Beginning

A/N: So, as promised, here is the alternate opening for this story. I wrote this before I wrote any of the other chapters, but for some reason it just never seemed to 'work' for me. I had a discussion on a writing forum about opening lines, which helped me decide to cut the scene completely and jump headfirst into the plot (Wait, there was supposed to be a plot? o.0 ). There are plenty of things I don't like about it, but there are a couple things I do like, so I thought I'd share. Especially because it means some extra Tamaki/Kyoya interaction : ) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All non-original characters are the property of Bisco Hatori. I'm just borrowing them, and promise to return them (eventually) in (more or less) the same condition I found them in.

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It was two in the afternoon, and Kyoya was writing a paper.

_Hmmm… delete this. I'll have to rearrange that later. This part doesn't make much sense unless I include that other quote…_

The young man paused for a moment in his typing and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one finger. His perch at the head of a narrow single bed gave an ample view of his dorm room, and his eyes swept the space with careful attention to detail. He was alone in the room, and an undisturbed silence surrounded him.

A sigh _… so quiet. It's a nice change._

Kyoya smiled serenely as his gaze came to rest on the back of the door. Then the handle started to rattle.

_Dammit. Spoke too soon._

The next moment, the knob turned and a blonde blur came rushing in, sat his bag on the floor, and ran over to the side of Kyoya's bed.

"Kyoya! Guess what!?"

Kyoya eyed his roommate over a laptop screen. Tamaki's cheeks were red, his expression one of excitement. Kyoya went back to work.

"I'm sorry, Tamaki," he said with mock sincerity, "You've beat me at last. I can't guess. You'll just have to tell me."

Tamaki appeared not to notice his best friend's sarcasm. He plopped down on the end of Kyoya's bed, jostling the dark-haired boy and earning a sinister look from him. Tamaki responded with a grin.

"The twins called today. They're coming to visit the weekend after next!"

Kyoya stopped typing, and closed his laptop. _Maybe I can get some work done later…_

"And Haruhi is coming with them," he said.

Tamaki jumped off the bed in one lively motion and began pacing with enthusiasm.

"Yes! I get to see my dar…" he trailed off and turned to Kyoya, "Wait. How did you know?"

"I didn't. But you wouldn't be so excited if it were only the twins."

Kyoya was smiling now as well. As much as Tamaki could get on anyone's nerves when he was like this, Kyoya liked seeing him happy. And if anyone could make Tamaki happy, it was Haruhi.

"Well," Tamaki started, "Don't get me wrong. I like Hikaru and Kaoru. But they're not…"

"Your girlfriend?" Kyoya supplied.

Tamaki's smile grew even wider. "Exactly."

***

_Friday, Two weeks later_

Tamaki and Kyoya were both waiting on the edge of campus when a slick black car pulled up in the late afternoon sun. Two identical redheads and a petite brunette stepped out; the car had barely begun to pull away when Tamaki pounced, pulling the brunette into a strong embrace and landing a kiss on her cheek.

"Haruhi! You look lovely!"


End file.
